


Run for Cover

by pinkbelle



Series: to be where you are [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Peter Parker is Pepper Pott's Biological child, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Pre-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Vague angst, more theoretical
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-06 22:54:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17354153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkbelle/pseuds/pinkbelle
Summary: "I heard you talking to my daddy last night," Peter said quietly. "You said that it was your friend who was the one that hurt you. You told me stories about Bucky, why would he hurt you?""It's complicated, bud," Steve murmured, hand coming up to run through Peter's hair. "Bucky…I don't know if he's still Bucky anymore. He's been with some really bad people for a long time, and he doesn't know who he is."Peter turned his face into Steve's side. "His metal arm is really cool." His voice was muffled by Steve's shirt and Steve let out a surprised laugh at how Tony the response was. Peter lifted his head at the sound and offered a toothy grin.





	Run for Cover

**Author's Note:**

> Part of my series where Peter is Tony and Pepper's biological child - for anyone who read 'Wish that You Were Here', this is set just before Natasha's chapter. Takes place immediately following CAWS. As always, any feedback or comments are appreciated, I love how excited some of you guys are by this series, it makes me enjoy writing even more!
> 
> Title comes from a Killers song.

Steve rested his arms on the counter in front of him, taking a deep breath.

 

A hand came to rest on his shoulder, and a cup of coffee was placed next to his elbow on the marble surface. There was silence for a moment, as though Tony was hoping he’d take the opportunity to start the conversation, but when Steve said nothing Tony sighed and turned so that his back was leaning against the counter.

 

The man frowned, shoving his hands into his pockets.

 

“I’m not going to ask if you’re okay because I know you aren’t,” he stated bluntly, and Steve almost laughed at how _Tony_ it was. He was reminded of why he’d ended up in Stark’s apartment – he wasn’t okay, not even close, and of the few people in the world who could understand that Tony was one of them. The two had become closer since New York, although Tony had loudly declared that Steve was banned from coming over after one morning when Peter had walked into the kitchen in a Captain America shirt.

 

He turned his gaze from Tony to the eleven-year-old boy sitting on the floor of the living room, his brow furrowed in concentration as he explained the programming of the Scalextric race track in front of him to his mother and Natasha. While he wasn’t surprised at how much he had grown to like Peter, he had always liked children, it had shocked him slightly as to how taken the agent was with him. Natasha was without a doubt one of Peter’s favorite people and her patience was seemingly endless – every time she came over he would explain in excruciating detail what he was doing in school, what his dad was letting him help with in the lab, and the redhead took it all in as though it was biblical. Peter was currently holding one of the controllers that he had pried open with a screwdriver and was explaining how the wiring worked, and while Pepper kept looking up at the two men in concern Natasha was fixed on the child. When he had suggested that they go and visit Tony and Pepper after Fury went into hiding she didn’t even bother to give him a response before she was pushing him to get in a car to start the drive to New York.

 

Steve smiled slightly, turning to Tony. “You’ve got a good thing here,” he said sincerely, and Tony let out a chuckle and nodding.

 

“That I do,” he agreed, “that I do.” He faced his family, watching as Pepper rested a hand on Peter’s shoulder when he placed the control into her hand for the little car with ‘STARK’ painted on the side in white-out. The question that had been on his mind since Steve had told him what had happened in DC was pushing itself to the forefront, though, and forcing a break in the relaxed conversation between the two. Tony pushed himself off of the counter and put a hand on Steve’s arm as he guided the man back a few paces to where they would be out of earshot of the strawberry blonde woman on the floor playing with her son. When Steve met Tony’s eyes he could see the change in them, from jovial to pained.

 

“You said there was a list of targets?” he muttered, keeping half an eye on his wife.

 

The younger man nodded in confirmation, knowing what his friend’s next question would be.

 

“You and Pepper were both on it,” he stated, although he knew that Tony had been assuming that very fact.

  

Steve hesitated before he asked the question on his mind. “Do you,” he took a breath, “do you have a plan for him? A plan for if that happens?”

 

Tony’s eyes screwed closed and Steve immediately regretted asking. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything,” he apologised, a hand moving to his friend’s shoulder in comfort. Tony shook his head, lifting a hand to his face and rubbing his eyes.

 

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a guardian who isn’t on some kind of hit list?” he joked bitterly, moving his hand to rake through his dark hair. He shook his head, turning to look at his child. His son – the one he would give the world for, the one he held when he had nightmares, the one who he was sure would change the world one day – had moved to sit in his mother’s lap, brow furrowed in concentration as he watched her use the control to guide a car around the plastic track pieces. There had been so many fears in Tony’s mind when Pepper had told him she was pregnant a few months after they got married. Howard had been an absent father, devoid of affection and attention, and Tony had vowed that there wouldn’t be a day in his child’s life in which they didn’t feel loved by their father. 

 

“He goes to a family friend, they have a set up on a farm in upstate New York. Happily married, two kids, it’s like an after-school special.”

 

“Would he be safe?”

 

Steve noticed Tony’s eyes flit over to Natasha before he turned back to face him, confused but not giving it too much thought.

 

“Yes,” he confirmed, “I have no doubt about that.”

 

The rattling vibration of Tony’s phone on the counter pulled the two from their discussion. Picking it up swiftly Tony cast a glance at the display on the screen and rolled his eyes before lifting it to his ear.

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be dead?” he accused flatly, “Dead mean don’t make calls, if they did I could’ve fired my therapist back in 1999 for suggesting role playing and just gotten my dad on the phone.”

 

Fury. Of course. Tony turned and walked out of the kitchen as he offered another dry retort to whatever Nick’s response had been. Steve shook his head and reached for the forgotten coffee on the counter.

 

Upon noticing the absence of his father when he looked up Peter called out for his remaining audience. “Uncle Steve, come look! I drew your shield on this one!”

 

The corners of Steve’s lips tugged upwards at the boy’s words and he crossed the room to sit down beside Natasha and Peter. Pepper gracefully stood up just as he sat down and moved to follow her husband out of the room while Natasha cast a glance at him out of the corner of her eye.

 

The moment Steve was on the ground Peter had moved to claim the space beside him and was jamming a hard piece of plastic into his uncle’s hand.

 

“Look, see?” The little fingers traced the red and blue design on the side of the car in Steve’s hand. “I even drew an ‘S’ in the middle of the star, that one’s yours!”

 

Steve turned the car over in his hand. The smile on his face grew at the care that had been taken in the hand-drawn design – sure enough there was a shaky initial in the middle of the shield. Turning his head to look at Peter he lifted his free hand to the boy’s head and affectionately tousled the messy hair.

 

“Thanks, bud, this is really cool.”

 

Peter nodded vigorously and gestured for Steve to put it down on the track next to another car.

 

“This one is mine, it says Stark on the side, we can race them!” he announced excitedly. Steve followed Peter’s direction and took the remote control he held out.

 

Natasha chuckled at the look of concentration on Peter’s face as he got the cars lined up on the track. “Go easy on him Pete,” she warned with an amused expression, “Uncle Steve’s only just figured out how to use his cell phone.”

 

Steve sighed and rolled his eyes. “Aunt Nat doesn’t know what she’s talking about, I’ve driven a lot of cars, I can do this.”

 

“Sure thing 21st century man,” Natasha muttered. She stood up, ghosting a hand over Peter’s head as she did. “Anyone want some juice?”

 

Peter frowned. “I’m not a baby, I don’t drink juice anymore, I’ll have water please.”

 

Natasha rolled her eyes. “I’m so sorry, your lordship, would anyone like _water_?”

 

“Yes please.”

 

Shaking her head warmly she looked at Steve in question before moving to the kitchen after he nodded.

 

Peter continued to fiddle with the controller in his hand. After a couple of moments he flipped it over and began sliding the battery casing cover on and off, a soft _click_ coming from each motion. It was a clear gesture of nervousness, but Steve knew enough about Peter to understand that he needed to wait for his nephew to speak first rather than coax out whatever was bothering him. Sure enough Peter took a deep breath, continuing to fiddle with the control.

 

“I heard you talking to daddy last night,” he said quietly. “You said that it was your friend who was the one that hurt you. You told me stories about Bucky, why would he hurt you?”

 

The boy’s wide brown eyes turned to stare up at him with a concern far beyond his eleven years. Steve placed his controller down and plucked the one out of Peter’s own hands. He lifted an arm and placed it over Peter’s shoulder and pulled him gently against his side. The gesture was meant as a comfort for Peter, but Steve couldn’t help but notice the way that having the boy beside him eased the tension and strain he’d been feeling since he’d seen the man behind the mask.

 

“It’s complicated, bud,” he murmured, hand coming up to run through Peter’s hair. “Bucky…I don’t know if he’s still Bucky anymore. He’s been with some really bad people for a long time, and he doesn’t know who he is.”

 

Peter turned his face into Steve’s side. “His metal arm is really cool.” His voice was muffled by Steve’s shirt and Steve let out a surprised laugh at how _Tony_ the response was. Peter lifted his head at the sound and offered a toothy grin.

 

“Are you going to look for him?” he asked eagerly.

 

“I am,” Steve nodded.

 

“Can I go with you? I could help you!”

 

“Didn’t we talk about this with Thor? No leaving the city with other Avengers, kid.”

 

Steve and Peter looked up at the intrusion and watched Tony walk back into the living room.

 

Holding a hand out to his son when he reached the pair he helped Peter to his feet before pulling him into a hug.

 

“Bud, Mom and I have to go with Uncle Steve to get some stuff done in DC but Aunt Nat is going to stay with you while we’re gone, alright?” The statement was met with a soft whine of disapproval from Peter while Steve furrowed his brow as he met Tony’s gaze. The other man shook his head, clearly intending on explaining when his son wasn’t in listening distance.

 

Tony pulled back from Peter, manoeuvring the boy into a one-armed hold, and gestured at Steve. “C’mon, Cap, got get your stuff together into your military issue bag that you’re weirdly fond of and won’t let me replace.”

 

“Not everything needs to be replaced Tony, the bag works fine.”

 

“It’s an _eyesore_ , Steven. An absolute eyesore.”

 

Steve shook his head at Tony’s complaints as he stood up. He ruffled Peter’s hair on his way past as he headed towards the guest room he’d been staying in to pack his things up. As he folded shirts and placed them back into his duffle he thought – and not for the first time – about how the man he’d immediately condemned as arrogant and selfish aboard the helicarrier had become one of his closest friends. After the battle of New York Pepper had taken the time to go to different art museums with Steve after he made an off-handed remark that he enjoyed drawing after a brief stint in art school. She and Tony had invited Steve over for dinner at least once a week while he’d been in New York before heading to DC and whenever there was any kind of milestone or achievement in Peter’s life Steve would always receive a picture or video of it. He had woken up in a future he didn’t recognise and felt more alone than he had ever been, and yet somehow he had ended up surrounded by people who cared about him and who had folded him into their family. He was reeling from the secondary loss of Bucky after everything that had just happened but this time he had people waiting to catch him when he fell. He didn’t feel quite so alone.

**Author's Note:**

> FYI: incase you didn't pick up on it the friend being referenced is Clint. In my head after Clint meets Peter after IM2 (story to come...) he'd realise that Peter and Cooper are around the same age and he'd let Tony and Pepper know about Laura and the kids.


End file.
